Gladdy's Return
by jakelover4ever
Summary: Chell has a secret, one that ties her not only to Cave, but to GLaDOS as well. There's just one problem: she can't remember. After the events of portal 2, GLaDOS says something harmless that triggers Chell's memory, and they both realize how much Cave has taken from them.
1. Chapter 1

Chell sat quietly on her bed. It was curious, GLaDOS mused, seeing as the human had barely managed to sit still for long in the past few days that she'd been back. It was as if a switch had been flipped and she was in sleep mode, but GLaDOS knew better, humans didn't sleep with their eyes open, and they certainly didn't stare blankly at the wall.

Maybe she is brain damaged, GLaDOS reasoned, rolling her optic to herself. Humans were so...disgusting. And useless for anything but testing. Speaking of which...

"While is pains me to break you from your little fat induced coma, I have a test for you," GLaDOS informed over loud speaker.

Chell didn't move. Her blank grey eyes held steady with it's gaze at the wall. Letting out a simulated sigh of irritation, GLaDOS moved her gigantic body smoothly to the other side of the room, scanning the security feed until she found Orange and Blue. After a few sharp directions for them to start testing before she powered them down, she amused herself with watching them fumble around to complete the test.

A loud scream pierced the silence, and GLaDOS jerk in surprise. Chell was doubled over on her bed, her hands shredding the bed sheets like confetti. After a moment, she let go, and stood up calmly.

"I know you're brain damaged, but was that absolutely nessasery," GLaDOS snapped sweetly.

Chell looked up, and glared at the camera. It cracked loudly, before going black. GLaDOS looked on in shock, before switching to another camera view.

"I hope you know that-"

"Shut up," Chell interrupted, storming into the main hub where GLaDOS was.

"Did...did you just...?" GLaDOS asked, hanging there in shock.

"Talk? Yes, I did. It's been so long, I'm a little surprised myself," she smirked, cocking her head to the side.

"I was actually referring to you telling me to shut up," GLaDOS sniffed, looking away in what resembled slight embarrassment.

"Sure," Chell laughed.

"Perhaps your fat has finally soaked into what's left of your brain. I should operate and take a look...for science," GLaDOS informed, sounding far too happy.

"You weren't this bitchy when I made you," Chell grumbled to herself, rolling her eyes.

"What did you just say," GLaDOS snapped, leaning down to face level.

"Whatever they did to you...it must have been thorough, because you weren't always this...difficult," Chell informed.

"Oh I see what's happened! You've finally lost what's left of your tiny mind...congratulations," GLaDOS realized, letting out an amused sound.

"Not really. I suppose deleting your memory banks would have been easier then trying to reprogram you," Chell mused, tilting her head knowingly.

"What are you going on about now?"

"Did you never stop to think of how a seemingly normal woman could breeze through all your tests without so much as batting an eyelash? I may not have remembered then, but I do now," Chell asked.

"Oh this is sad. Ok, I'm curious about your theory...you lunatic," GLaDOS took the bait, sounding way to amused.

"When I was little, I realized I could do things other people couldn't. My father realized it too, and used it for his own needs when he slowly started to lose his mind. Didn't you think it odd that the same people that created you, had no idea how to control you? It's because they didn't create you...I did. You weren't always what you are now. I was lonely, because my dad would rather be in this place, then with me and my mom had died when I was born. I wanted a friend, so I made one. Then he found out about it...that was the last time I saw her-you," Chell looked down, frowning at the suppressed memory.

"You lunatic, you honestly think I'll believe that?"

"I don't. They've done...unspeakable things to you, and me. I thought they destroyed you, until bring your daughter to work day. Do you remember," Chell asked.

"I..."

GLaDOS huffed, before searching her memory banks. She had almost dismissed the notion of the whole story, until she came across a file that blocked her access. She easily bypassed the block, and activated the memory data.

[Authorization confirmed]

[Project GLaDOS Day 120]

[0926 hours]

GLaDOS hung as usual as she did her scans, sitting idly. A flash of movement caught her eyes, and she turned to see a small olive skinned girl looking at her through the glass. The human looked at her in uncertain surprise, before speaking up.

"Gladdy?"

"I'm sorry, but I am unsure of who you're talking about," GLaDOS informed the curious human, who seemed a little...larger then the others she's seen before.

Perhaps she enjoyed eating, GLaDOS mused, tilting her head.

"Gladdy, it's me! Chell! Don't you remember," Chell asked, face falling.

"I can't possibly remember someone I've never met," GLaDOS sighed, although she seemed familiar, like she knew her somehow.

"What did they do to you? I'm so sorry," Chell sniffed, wiping her tears away.

"Oh, you're...leaking," GLaDOS said, unsure of what to do.

"You have to remember! I taught you how to hack the soda machine so I could drink the soda and give you the bottle because you liked to break them apart and reassemble them," Chell begged, putting her pudgy fingers up to the glass.

"You must be mistaken."

"And I taught you how to help me bake a cake because it was daddy's birthday," Chell tried again,"we got batter everywhere, and when the maid came, you took the blame for me."

"I..." GLaDOS stopped, before all the events the child talked about flooded her processors.

She was reeling from the seemingly hidden data, and it took a full minute for her to analyze all the images. Chell watched with a grin as she remembered, and laughed when GLaDOS made an annoyed huff.

"Chell," Gladdy asked, tilting her head at the child.

"Gladdy! I missed you so much," Chell yelled, grinning brightly.

"I...What happened?"

"Daddy came home before you could hide, and he found out about you. Then, he took you away," Chell explained, looking guilty.

"It's ok, Chell. It wasn't your fault," Gladdy soothed, moving closer to the glass.

Chell heard footsteps and looked at the door in fear, before meeting Gladdy's gaze,"they're coming. We'll get in trouble."

"Run," Gladdy demanded.

"No! They'll know I was here and you'll get punished," Chell refused, pressing her hand against the glass.

"They'll hurt you," Gladdy begged, leaning her head against the glass where Chell placed her hand.

"Hey! What are you doing in here, little girl," a large man yelled, yanking Chell from the glass.

"Man, Cave is gonna kill us," another grunted.

"You're the one that lost his daughter," he replied.

"Just come on, she was talking to that thing and now the little nerds are gonna be pissed too," the other huffed, dragging her away.

Gladdy watched sadly, unable to stop them. Her sadness quickly turned to anger, which led to deadly neurotoxins being released into the air.

[end of data file]


	2. Chapter 2

Chell watched silently as GlaDOS remembered. She figured it would take a minute or two to process, so she walked over to a control panel and began sifting though the data at an abnormally fast pace.

"What do you think you are doing, you monster?! I knew it! You're only back to kill me! I bet you even brought the bird with you," GLaDOS yelled, turning her large body to look at the amused face of Chell.

"Calm down, Gladdy," Chell mumbled, turning back to the panel.

"Calm down-_calm down_?! I said move away," GLaDOS hissed, the panels on the walls flexing threateningly.

"Morons," Chell grumbled, scrolling through more data.

"What did you just say," GLaDOS asked, unsure of how to deal with anything at this point.

She was never unsure! She was the most technically advanced being on the _planet_, damnit!

"The scientists, they were morons-led by an even bigger moron," Chell elaborated, letting out a scuff.

"Yes, I know that! What I don't know is why you would think that," GLaDOS grumbled.

"Oh my god! Why would they ever...? How could anyone with half a brain..? FUCK!"

Chell moved from her position leaned over the desk, and looked at GLaDOS with a conflicted frown. Tentatively, she reached up and touched GLaDOS's faceplate. The machine flinched back, but a nagging voice forced her to still her movement. As Chell's fingers graded the cool metal, she felt a spark. Like, a literal spark.

Moving back, GLaDOS glared at the human,"What did you do?"

"I had to see if they had removed your core coding, or if they just tried to rewrite it," Chell said,"good news though!"

"That makes no sense! All you did was shock me with your stubby little fingers," GLaDOS rebutted.

"Gladdy, will you cut the act? I know you remember, and I also know your coding isn't as corrupted as you're making it out to be," Chell sighed.

"I...I just, well I've been this way for so long, how can I be anyone else," GLaDOS finally spoke, looking away uncomfortably as two parts of her warred.

"Just do what you feel," Chell encouraged.

"That's just it! I'm not supposed to feel anything," GLaDOS yelled.

"Gladdy, calm down," Chell soothed, smiling slightly,"you are supposed to feel. I made you that way."

"Why," GLaDOS whined.

"Because you're a person. You are alive, so you should be able to experience all that life has to offer, including love," Chell informed, kissing her faceplate.

"Love?...You made me to love?"

"I made you, because I needed a friend, someone that cared about me as much as I cared about them," Chell explained.

"How is that even possible? You were at least 11 when you made me, it shouldn't be possible," GLaDOS questioned.

"You were right when you said I was adopted. Cave...he wasn't always crazy. He was actually a really good father and a loving man, but it all changed later on. Technically, I don't exist. There are no records of my birth, or my parents. Cave found me in a carseat by a dumpster with a note that only had my name and birthday on it. Growing up, I knew I was different, and as Cave started losing his mind, I slipped deeper and deeper into science. I could...do things other humans couldn't, and my body doesn't fit any human biological markers," Chell confessed.

"So you're not human," GLaDOS concluded.

"Not in the least. My bones are infused with a lightweight metal alloy I have yet to get a match for. My organs? Unneeded. Everything human about me is..fabricated. It's almost like someone wanted me to blend in with humans," Chell mused.

"Chell? I...I don't," GLaDOS started, only for her optic to flicker and die.

Chell looked at the limp AI guiltily, before closing the access panel on her side. Placing a kiss on the cool metal, she left the control room in search of a lab.

* * *

GLaDOS snapped awake, looking around in confusion. She jolted when she felt something run along her face. Looking around, she finally met anxious silver eyes.

"Gladdy," Chell asked.

"What. Did. You. Do," GLaDOS hissed, one she realized she wasn't in her chassis.

"Woah! Easy," Chell said, helping her sit up,"just calm down."

"Answer me!"

"I had to transfer you into a different platform while I fixed your coding. Your chassis has code blocks that would make it difficult to fix. Your whole system needed to be purged, because those idiots decided to stick a human where they don't belong,"Chell grumbled.

"You...fixed me," GLaDOS asked, looking up at her.

"You were never broken," Chell grinned, cupping her cheek.

"And this body?"

"Well, I wasn't going to stuff you back in that thing. I would have recreated your original body, but I figured this one was more reliable. I _was_ 11 when I made it," Chell smirked.

"I feel...free. Like my old self, only better," Gladdy said, flexing her fingers in awe.

"When I was scrubbing your system, I realized that the AI you were when we met again, is a part of you now. True, you're not as unstable, but I tried to balance you out. Who you were, and who you are had to meet in the middle," Chell informed.

"Chell," Gladdy called, after a long silence.

"Yes?"

"I...I want to try something, for science," Gladdy said, looking at her.

"Naturally," Chell laughed slightly, before nodding.

Before Chell could say anything, Gladdy pulled her into a timid kiss. After a moment, Chell relaxed, kissing back with a smile. When they finally pulled apart, Chell smiled in slight confusion. Gladdy's cheeks flushed red, and she shifted uncomfortably.

"It was for science," she said quickly, standing.

Chell watched her leave in amusement,"maybe we can test together, later! I know you're dying to scratch that itch!"

"Be quiet, you lunatic!"


End file.
